Resume Writing: Invest the Time, Get the Results

One of the things that makes Blue Sky a little different is that we make our clients work hard.

Some people think that hiring a resume company should be a way to take a nasty task off their plates.

“I hate resume writing,” the thinking goes, “and if I pay someone, I don’t have to do it.”

This is a bit like deciding to lose weight and then paying someone to exercise for you. (Believe me, if that worked, I’d have my credit card out).

The same thinking often extends to people who don’t hire a professional resume writer. “I hate writing resumes,” they think, “so I’ll get this done as fast as I can so I can start sending it out.” Or “I need a job, so I can’t waste time on this.” Or “I just don’t know how to do this and I’m getting frustrated so I’m just going to send it out as it is.” I speak from experience here, because I’ve done at least one of these myself (I’ll leave you to decide which one!)

“Me, Me, Look at Me!”

If this is you, here’s what I want you to think about: Your resume is one of the most important documents you will ever write. It goes ahead of you into strangers’ offices attempting to persuade them that you are the perfect person for their vacancy. And it’s going into those offices jostling with a crowd of other resumes – hundreds of them, maybe even thousands – and they’re all fighting for attention. Some of them will be pushing to get to the front, some will be waving their arms in the air, others will be shouting. And in the middle of them all is yours.

Unless you have really poured your heart and soul into that document, unless you’ve worked to understand the principles of effective resume writing, and then worked hard to translate those into a document that tells a compelling story of what you have to offer, unless you’ve done all this, your resume is going to get lost in that crowd.

“I’m Stuck for Time So Here It Is.”

A client wrote that to in an email recently. He was explaining why he hadn’t done much work on the questionnaire we sent him. He had missed half our questions and given hurried answers to the others. But he was stuck for time, so what could he do?

Here’s the thing: If you’re not willing to invest time and effort into your resume, you can’t expect results.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re working with a professional service like ours or writing your own resume, you need to give it your all. If you don’t, you can expect your resume to be jostled right to the back when that office door opens.

You Don’t Have to Go it Alone

If you’d like help with your resume, check out the free course I wrote. It’s easy to follow and is delivered to your email in bite-sized installments. And if you have any questions, please let me know. I’m happy to help.

Louise co-founded Blue Sky in 2002 after a career as an HR executive. Her industry experience includes music, video games, fashion and advertising. She lived and worked in the US for many years, but moved back to her native UK in 2012, where she now lives in the Yorkshire countryside. In addition to her full-time role with Blue Sky, she's a professional artist, so you can imagine why she couldn't answer the 'what do you do with your free time' question! Contact Louise by email.

4 comments on “Resume Writing: Invest the Time, Get the Results”

Hi, Louise! I came across your website when I was searching for the best way to revamp my resume and since then, I’ve been a fan of your work: I’ve signed up for your free lessons and learned a lot from them.
There’s one particular point that I’d love to get some advice for, if possible. I’ve been trying to relocate to a different country from my own and I’m afraid that once recruiters realize I’m not a local resident, my chances of being considered a candidate will drop dramatically.
Is it a founded concern of mine? Any tips on how I should handle my applications with that in mind?
Many thanks!

Hating résumé writing seems to be something all our clients can agree on – this is hardly surprising, but it’s disastrous because few will stay invested in the process in order develop the document through its gestation, while also creating new variations to suit the range of jobs they could be qualified for. The time required to develop one’s résumé goes far beyond what a professional resume writer could possibly offer, even if they could tap into your head directly. Do you think this malaise could be traced to a failure in education/training of kids’ writing skills?

Louise, I agree wholeheartedly. In order for any resume writer to create that stellar resume for the client, it takes a team approach, and two-way communication so that the appropriate and most valuable information gets in the hands of the resume writer. Without that, what do we have to work with?
I just love your depiction of the resumes’ little arms waving about in the air for attention of the hiring manager. They are our little creations with a voice – we must give them that voice to be effective. Thank you – Sharon Gibbs